A native of St. Thomas, Ontario, with a BFA in Acting from
University of Windsor, and now a longtime resident of Perth-Upon-Tay, near Ottawa, he and his wife, Janice, have been
producing theatre in Perth since 1983, first with the highly innovative Perth Summer Theatre and, since 1995, with BarnDoor
Productions.
Together, they have produced some 170 shows in Perth and area. David has worked with a dozen companies across
Ontario and his plays, too, have been successfully produced from Windsor to Ottawa, into the U.S. , the U.K, Australia, New Zealand and even in Brazil. He is the author/composer/lyricist of more than 40 works for the stage
and the recipient of a number of writing awards, including two Ottawa International Book Festival Playwrighting Awards.
In 2011,
after more than 25 years in other venues, the Jacklins opened their own space, the Full Circle Theatre, in Perth. In 2012, David and
Janice were each awarded the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal for their 30+ years of work in theatre in Perth and for, as stated in the
medals’ citations, their “contributions to Canada.”